FINAL_FW2607-08_DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 65
Nighttime events keep guests
beyond traditional hours
by Jaclyn Greenberg
IN 2025, AUSTRALIA’S SYDNEY ZOO ATTRACTED more than 100,000 visitors to Glow, a standalone after-dark light festival. Guests can visit the zoo during the day and return for Glow, but the
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majority attend as a separate evening experience, which increases overall visitation.
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The event runs for approximately four hours, where guests move through an illuminated trail and
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engage with a curated mix of food, beverage, and retail offerings positioned throughout the route. “This naturally drives an increase in length of stay and per capita spend, as guests pause, explore and interact with
multiple activation points along the way,” says Michael Kelly, CEO of Sydney Zoo.
Nocturnal programs have become a trend to increase facility interest and generate extra revenue.
Night Safari Singapore, located next to Singapore Zoo and open from 6 p.m. to midnight, is
one of the world’s first nocturnal wildlife parks; visitors can explore walking trails and ride a
tram to see more than 900 nocturnal creatures.
“Guests visiting any of our daytime parks can naturally extend [their visit] into an evening at Night Safari, and many do,” says Dr. Cheng Wen-Haur, deputy CEO and chief life
sciences officer at Mandai Wildlife Group.
The Louisville Zoo in Kentucky hosts several major nighttime events each year, such as
a Wild Lights lantern festival and an annual Boo at the Zoo Halloween event.
Their partners develop event-specific offerings, including Wild Lights-branded merchandise and specialty food items, as well as seasonal novelties like light-up and glow
products. “These limited-time items are designed to enhance the guest experience while
encouraging incremental spending throughout the evening,” says Dan Maloney, Louisville
Zoo director.
Fremantle Prison, a UNESCO site in Australia, offers daytime as well as after-hours tours.
“[This] enables guides to promote additional tours aligned with visitors’ interests, supporting deeper
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exploration of specific historical themes, and encouraging return visitation,” says Heather Christy, manOX
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ager of sales and marketing at Fremantle Prison.
Luminiscence productions, which are 360-degree projections held in sacred monuments with live
music, feature two or three 45- to 60-minute shows each evening in cities across the world. In Paris,
the inaugural run drew more than 100,000 ticketed visitors. “For a few months, a heritage site
usually visited briefly during the day becomes a full evening cultural destination,” says Nicolas
Leboucher, vice president of operations at LOTCHI.
Technical Concerns Coming into Play
Tour departure times at the Fremantle Prison vary throughout the year to ensure the experience takes place in full darkness, explains Christy. Visitors, who are provided regularly
maintained torches, have to remain on the designated routes and emergency lighting, clear
evacuation paths, and regular training on safety protocols are critical, especially in a heritage building.
Additionally, there are accessibility considerations to take into account. For example,
low light may be challenging for guests with low vision, depth perception issues, or sensory
sensitivities. And large, echoing spaces may impact visitors who are hard of hearing. Limited
lighting can present challenges for visitors with limited English proficiency.
“The tour is advertised as 100% accessible due to entry ramps and a lift available at the final
point of the experience, however we ensure visitors are advised that the broader prison footprint
includes uneven floors, narrow corridors, stairs, and lowlight conditions,” says Christy.
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IAAPA.org/Funworld | JULY/AUGUST 2026 | Funworld
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